Thunderball

Play trailer

Thunderball

PG,

1965,

2h 10m,

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

83%

48 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane and threatens widespread nuclear destruction to extort 100 million pounds. The dashing Agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery), is sent to recover the warheads from the heart of Largo's lair in the Bahamas, facing underwater attacks from sharks and men alike. He must also convince the enchanting Domino (Claudine Auger), Largo's mistress, to become a key ally.

Critics Consensus

Lavishly rendered set pieces and Sean Connery's enduring charm make Thunderball a big, fun adventure, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the series' previous heights.

Read Critics Reviews

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

May 6, 2008

Slightly bloated Bond, with too much technology for my taste and a climactic slaughter that's a little too mindless to be much fun.

Go to Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

May 6, 2008

There's visible evidence that the reported $5.5 million budget was no mere publicity figure; it's posh all the way.

Go to Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

May 9, 2005

The color is handsome. The scenery in the Bahamas is an irresistible lure. Even the violence is funny. That's the best I can say for a Bond film.

Go to Full Review

Pauline Kael

McCall's

Sep 20, 2023

Thunderball is, at least, itself: the male fantasy mixture as before -- but perhaps a little lighter, less sadistic than Goldfinger, without the spectacular sequences but constantly in entertaining motion.

Go to Full Review

Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

Aug 28, 2022

C-

Sadly though past the editing, in no way is Thunderball a notable outing for James Bond.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Sep 25, 2021

2.5/4

The most overrated movie in the franchise. Of course, it's not without its merits.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Draco W

Apr 15, 2019

IMO this is the worst Bond of the orginal series. This was when Bond was at it's peak in popularity and influence and sadly we got this dud. Connery starts to get overwhelmed with this one and you can see it. This one's filled with boring underwater scenes and takes forever to get going. Once it does it lingers for too long. Only fun parts are the start and the end as well as the clinic scenes. Not enough to make a riveting film. McClory forcing himself in sure didn't help. Only things that work about this one are the music, set design, and the women. Auger's sadly underrated looks wise (sure couldn't do a quality english accent for sure, she had to be dubbed,) Paluzzi thankfully saves the day as the 2nd baddie and is a saving grace for the film. NSNA 18 years later did this story justice.

See more

Theodore P

Mar 29, 2019

The.Best.Bond.Ever. Very accurate and faithful to the novel (which was written at the same time as the screenplay only 6 years earlier) despite editing for time and to satisfy studio bosses.

See more

Ron P

Feb 26, 2019

Overall it is a very solid entry into the Bond Mythos (minus the rapey bits), and probably one of the best in terms of cinematography and script. It is one that I still enjoy time and again, even though I use some of the lengthy underwater segments as a time to grab a snack.https://latetothegame.blog/2019/01/24/key-movies-of-my-life-james-bond-edition-thunderball-1965/

See more

Draco R

Feb 25, 2019

So confusing, had no idea what was going on

Draco R

Nov 5, 2018

For the mere fact that as at that time, Thunderball boasts of a jet-pack scene with James bond using it to escape peril, that would have amused audiences, it gets a 5 star amongst other things.

See more

Draco G

Sep 25, 2018

A fun installment to the Bond series, but it is not as good as its predecessor.

Read all reviews

Terence Young

Director

Sean Connery

James Bond

Claudine Auger

Domino

Adolfo Celi

Emilio Largo

Luciana Paluzzi

Fiona Volpe

Rik Van Nutter

Felix Leiter

Live and Let Die

65%

64%

Live and Let Die

Watchlist

The Andromeda Strain

67%

72%

The Andromeda Strain

Watchlist

WarGames

93%

76%

WarGames

Watchlist

The Ipcress File

97%

85%

The Ipcress File

Watchlist

Moonraker

60%

43%

Moonraker

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 12 Best Action Movie Franchises, Ever!

Poll: Who’s Your Favorite Bond Villain?

Digital Multiplex: Classic James Bond movies, The Hunger Games and More

View more photos

Synopsis

Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane and threatens widespread nuclear destruction to extort 100 million pounds. The dashing Agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery), is sent to recover the warheads from the heart of Largo's lair in the Bahamas, facing underwater attacks from sharks and men alike. He must also convince the enchanting Domino (Claudine Auger), Largo's mistress, to become a key ally.

Director: Terence Young
Producer: Kevin McClory
Screenwriter: Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Danjaq Productions, EON Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 29, 1965, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings